8:45: West and Martinez head to overtime tied at 1. After the sudden-death period it’s still tied. Martinez scores an escape in the first of two 30-second OTs. That’s how it ends, Martinez wins 2-1 in overtime.

8:32: Urquizo wins by pinfall at the 1:30 mark of his match against Fabbian. Next on the mat is the 160-pound match between Buchanan’s Stephen West and Temecula Valley’s Patrick Martinez.

8:30: Sakaguchi used a takedown in overtime to beat Rodriguez 3-1. Next at 152 is Merced’s Chris Urquizo against Buchanan-Clovis’ Martin Fabbian.

8:17: Rodebaugh stuck Sanchez in the second period and got the pinfall victory. Next up at 145 is Clovis’ Scott Sakaguchi and Washington Union-Fresno’s Alex Rodriguez.

7:13: Guns N Roses is on the PA, so you know we’re getting close to action. The face off has concluded and we’re almost set to begin with the 103-pound title match between Selma’s Alex Cisneros and Clovis West’s Stevan Knoblauch. I won’t go play by play on each match, but I’ll keep ya in the loop. Steve R. Waterhouse will be helping too, since I’ll be going downstairs when Klingsheim and Pica wrestle.

7:10: I see some Concord High fans filing in. An interesting note that I got from Nick Pica’s bout sheet is that Pica is the first Concord High wrestler ever to reach the state title match.

7:05: We’ve done the national anthem, the parade is done, and next we’ll do the face-off. I see below me a contingent from Granada and Chase Aura is passing by press row right now. Aura had a heckuva career at Foothill and he’s one in a family of great wrestlers. The EBAL will miss both Aura and Granada’s Zach Waldren, whose family is sitting right below me. Both are classy kids.

6:50: As they go through the pomp and circumstance, I’ll say the same thing I’ve said for the last two years that I’ve been here. If you’ve never been to this event, you should try it some time. It’s really the best that the CIF has to offer.

6:45 pm: The officials are lining the stage and the parade of placers is next up. We won’t have to wait long for some local action, with Klingsheim in the third match of the evening.

6:30 pm: Alright everyone, we’re back for the night session here at Rabobank Arena. Let me start by throwing some good news your way. Just heard from Jason Welch and the 3-time state champion won his semifinal match tonight at the Big Ten Championships and will wrestle for the title tomorrow. Nice job Mr. Welch.

The parade of place-winners is about to begin here in Bakersfield, so gimme a minute and I’ll be back with more pre-game info.

2:30: Medal match update. De La Salle’s Vinny Moita took third with a 5-4 win over Clovis’ Daniel Gaytan. College Park’s Dylan Phillipy took fourth with a 10-8 loss to Bella Vista-Fair Oaks’ Jake Briggs. And De La Salle’s Tyler Sheridan ended his high school career with a win, scoring a late takedown to beat Poway’s Jake Poliakoff 3-2. I’m going to go write the early story, and we’ll be back on around 6 for the finals. I hope you come back tonight!

12:50: You can talk championships all you want but what College Park’s Dylan Phillipy is doing today is incredible. In the consolation semis, he pinned MLK’s Daniel Horcasitas in the first period. That means Phillipy will wrestle for third this afternoon against either Northview’s Frank Martinez or Bella Vista’s Jake Briggs. Remember, it was Briggs who beat Phillipy in overtime of their pigtail match yesterday.

12:15: The consolation semifinals are about to begin, so I’ll take a brief break. In action in this round will be DLS’s Vinny Moita and College Park’s Dylan Phillipy. If they win, they wrestle for third this afternoon. If they lose, they go for fifth.

12:10: For those interested, Del Norte-Crescent City’s Roger McCovey, he of the nearly two-year winning streak, has advanced to the heavyweight final with a 4-0 win. He’ll face Angel Posadas tonight.

12:05: Pica will face St. Francis-Mountain View’s Drew Meulman in the final. It’ll be a rematch of the final at the Lou Bronzan Invitational at Liberty earlier this season. Pica won that match.

11:52: Alrighty, Big Nick is on the mat. They’ll take mat 4. Pica will don the green ankle band.

Morehead starts with the first offensive attempt but Pica circles out quickly. They wrestle near the boundary and Pica has Morehead’s left leg. So far though, Morehead is defnding well. Pica switches onto his back and scores the first takedown. 2-0 Pica. He’s not cutting Morehead loose though and Morehead evens the score by hitting a reversal. 2-2. Pica comes right back after a stoppage with a takedown and goes ahead 4-2. They’ll restart with Morehead in the down position. Pica doing his best to stay on top but he can’t do it. Morehead with another reversal. Morehead tries for one last takedown at the buzzer but doesn’t get it. End of one period, 4-4.

Morehead wins the toss and defers, so Pica chooses neutral to begin the second. Good choice, as Pica scores a takedown near the boundary to go ahead 6-4. Pica riding on top and Morehead seems to be wearing down just a little bit. Pica is maintaing control better than he did in the first. Morehead’s been fighting from the mat a lot so far. Stalling warning on Morehead. Finally Pica cuts him loose and it’s 6-5 Pica. Morehead with a shot and Pica’s all over it, switching to Morehead’s back to score the takedown. 8-5 Pica. Pica picks Morehead up and spikes him. He gets the two points for the takedown and that’s the period. End of two, Pica leads 10-5.

Looks like Pica got the wind knocked out of him and he’ll take some injury time between periods. They return to the mat with Pica up 10-5.

Pica starts on bottom and immediately gets the reversal to go up 12-5. He cuts Morehead loose and its 12-6. Pica with another takedown and with a minute remaining, it’s 14-6. He cuts Morehead loose, shoving him to the mat, and it’s 14-7. Pica lifts Morehead again, driving him to the mat but this time it’s out of bounds so no takedown. Pica does a pirouette to get away briefly, then locks up and gets another takedown. Ladies and gents, take it to the bank. PICA WINS by major decision, 16-7.

11:50: In case you’re wondering about the delay, one of the 189-pound semis has evolved into the match that wouldn’t end. They’ve had multiple stoppages. We should have the 215 pounders out here shortly.

11:45: While Pica is wrestling Morehead, St. Francis-Mountain View’s Drew Meulman will face Modoc’s Josh Wood in the other semi. That means that rankings-wise, we’ll have No. 1 vs. 3 and No. 2 vs. 4.

11:05: Clovis’ Scott Sakaguchi just punched his ticket to the 145-pound final.

11:03: Ladies and gentlemen, if someone is wrestling better than Dylan Phillipy right now, I’d like to meet them. He just pinned Cody Howe and now the worst he can do is fifth place. He’ll wrestle Martin Luther King’s Daniel Horcasitas in the next round.

10:50: And there’s your first big upset of the day. Rodebaugh just pinned Dombrosky and he’ll head to tonight’s final. Rodebaugh was ranked No. 5 in the state. He’ll face Ridgeview’s Javier Sanchez in the final.

10:45: One of the 140-pound semis is Vlad Dombrosky from Natomas against San Lorenzo Valley’s Cody Rodebaugh. Fans who attended the Mission San Jose Invitational this year will remember that Freedom’s Nick Waldrop picked up one of his biggest wins of the year in a semifinal against Rodebaugh in a semifinal match.

10:33: The 130-pound final will be Selma’s Jose Mendoza against Poway’s Henry Yorba.

10:25: The 125-pound final is set. It’ll be Gilroy’s Martin Gonzalez against Lemoore’s Brandon Rocha.

10:15: Pica will be the next local to wrestle and he won’t hit the mat for quite some time. So, I’ll take a brief break and be right back.

10:13: While that was going on, Las Lomas’ Sean Dougherty took his consolation match to the very end but ended up losing 4-3. For those scoring at home, the locals still left in the tournament are Moita, Klingsheim, Pica, Sheridan and Phillipy.

10:11: Salinas spent a good couple minutes on the mat and now he’s up. The trainer checked him out and he’s good to continue. Salinas comes out quick and he’s got the takedown. Tonight’s 119-pound final will be the top two in the state, Klingsheim against Northview-Covina’s Steven Salinas.

10:05: In the race to face Klingsheim tonight, Turlock’s Fabian Garcia has tied the score with Northview-Covina’s Steven Salinas at 11 in the third period. That’s a battle between No. 2 (Salinas) and No. 3 (Garcia) in the state. Garcia almost gets Salinas down for back points but Salinas reverses it to make it 13-11. On the restart Garcia scores two for another reversal and it’s 13-13 with 30 seconds left. Garcia riding, Salinas almost reverses it but Garcia gets out of it. We’re headed to overtime!

10:01: That was a nervous couple of minutes for Klingsheim. Allen really came to wrestle but Klingsheim was a bit better technically. He never panicked and hit the move when he needed it.

9:56: Alright, Klingsheim and Allen are underway and Klingsheim comes out firing, scoring two points for a takedown quickly. Klingsheim maintains top position and he looks a whole lot more energetic than he did yesterday. Stalemate called and they’ll restart with Klingsheim leading 2-0. Allen switches it up on Klingsheim and ties the score with a reversal. 2-2. Allen’s got Klingsheim on his back and he scores three for a near-fall. 5-2 Allen as the period ends.

Klingsheim scores the quick reversal to start the second and it’s now 5-4 Allen. This might be the point where Klingsheim gets a little pissed off and starts going postal. Out of bounds and they restart with Allen on bottom. Klingsheim cuts Allen loose and it’s 6-4 Allen. Klingsheim hits a takedown and knots the score at 6. Klingsheim thought he might be in position for a near-fall and Allen reverses it, going up 8-6. Klingsheim immediately reeverses it on the restart, gets Allen on his back and he’s got it locked. Allen is struggling but Klingsheim has it. KLINGSHEIM WINS with a pinfall at the 3:44 mark.

9:55: Waldrop got pinned but Tyler Sheridan won at 152 pounds and he’ll have a medal to bring home to Concord.

9:53: Gilroy’s Jesse Delgado is through to the championship at 112 pounds. Joining him will be Estevan Cabanas of Canyon Springs.

9:52: Waldrop just hit a takedown across the arena and he’s up 3-2 in the second period. Nope, check that, his opponent got two for a reversal and now it’s 4-3 in favor of the other guy (I’m a details man…). Tyler Sheridan is up 2-1 in the third period of his match.

9:50: While the 112-pound semis are going on, let’s set the stage for the 119-pound match between Liberty’s David Klingsheim and Hogan-Vallejo’s Terry Allen. Klingsheim is ranked No. 1 in the state and Allen is an honorable mention selection.

9:46: De La Salle’s Tyler Sheridan just emerged from the tunnel for his consolation match. It’s a bittersweet day for Sheridan because I think he really could have done some damage had he made it to the semis. He had a shoe blow out yesterday and had to wrestle his last two matches essentially with one shoe. Also, Freedom’s Nick Waldrop has been pacing on an outer mat for about 15 minutes now as a coach is challenging a ruling in a previous match. It’s been quite a long debate and Waldrop has to be a little miffed right now.

9:45: The 103-pound final is set. It’ll be Cisneros against Clovis West’s Steven Knoblauch.

9:45: Meanwhile, Jesse Stafford rallied to go up 3-2 late on David Rios. Rios scored an escape and sent it to overtime but Stafford got the first takedown, beating Rios 5-3.

9:35: Alright, here we go with the semis. Moita vs. Cisneros is ready to go and so are we.

Both wrestlers circle to begin the match and Cisneros makes the first move, locking up with Moita. They go out of bounds and will restart. Cisneros is warned for stalling. Cisneros gets a takedown right at the buzzer and at the end of one period, it’s Cisneros 2, Moita 0.

Cisneros turns Moita to begin the second and he’s going to pick up a couple back points. He gets two and it’s 4-0 Cisneros. Cisneros is driving Moita, trying to get him on his back again. So far, Moita’s fending it off but he’s pretty much stuck to the mat in the process. No chances for points for the Spartan. Moita loses his head gear but still isn’t doing much offensively. End of two periods, Cisneros leads 4-0.

Cisneros starts the third in bottom position. Stalemate called with 57 seconds left and Moita’s still down by four. Moita’s trying to run the armbar and Cisneros fends it off. Restart with 13 seconds left and Moita still on top. That’s it. Cisneros wins 4-0 to advance to tonight’s championship.

9:35: Rios picked up two points for a takedown and he’s up 2-0 midway through the second period of his match with Del Oro-Loomis’ Jesse Stafford.

9:30: Before Moita and Cisneros hit the mat, Liberty’s David Rios will begin his consolation match at 140 pounds. I’ll let you know who wins shortly. Also, I just had my first Greg Chappel sighting of the weekend. Didn’t see him at all yesterday. He’s in the corner with Roy Rios.

9:25: Alright, let me set the stage for Moita’s match. He’s facing Selma’s Alex Cisneros, a freshman who is currently ranked No. 1 in the state by thecaliforniawrestler.com. Cisneros was the champion of the Central Section. He won his first match by technical fall (15-0) and his two ensuing matches by pinfall. Moita wrestled four matches yesterday, winning one by technical fall, two by pinfall, and one by decision.

9:24: Fraser hasn’t been able to mount any offense whatsoever in his match. He still trails 2-0 with 30 seconds left. And that’s the buzzer. Fraser goes down 2-0.

9:21: Phillipy got a big hug from Jim Keck and he deserves it. That’s great for College Park wrestling. At the far end of the arena, Fraser is down 2-0 in the third period. Semis are about to begin, as I see Vinny Moita beginning to heat up alongside Mat 4.

9:20: Phillipy gets his opponent into a cradle and he’s got the pin! Falcon fans can celebrate as Dylan Phillipy will wrestle for a medal today.

9:20: Alec Fraser is on a far mat, so I can’t see him too well. But, he’s wrestling presently. He just got taken down by Bella Vista’s Jake Briggs early in their match. Phillipy is tied 2-2 after one period.

9:17: Del Norte’s Roger McCovey is definitely still in the championship bracket. I can do play by play of his match too if everyone wants. North Coast Section is North Coast Section, right!

9:15: The Falcons have hit mat 4. Dylan Phillipy, accompanied by coaches Jim Keck and Leroy Rivers, is getting set to take on Madera South’s Raul Estrada. Estrada was the Central Section champion.

9:07: Alrighty, time for Aura vs. Morales. Great scramble early and both wrestlers get back to neutral. Moralles strikes first with a takedown with 13 seconds left in the period. End of one period, 2-0 Morales.

Aura’s down to begin the second period. Oh man, Aura’s hurt. He’s down and grabbing his right knee. Morales was riding and Aura was trying to get up and it looked like he landed awkwardly on that right knee. The trainer is on the mat and is looking at Chase. He’s up and trying to walk it off and it looks like he’ll give it another go. He gets a quick escape, showing that maybe he is OK after all. 2-1 Morales. Aura is grabbing his right knee pad as they’re back at neutral. Aura goes for a shot and can’t connect. Morales with a takedown and it’s 4-1. Aura with another escape and it’s 4-2. Another takedown by Morales and it’s 6-2. End of two periods, 6-2 Morales.

They start at neutral and tie up immediately. Morales with another takedown and this one’s not looking good for Aura. Aura gets the escape but Morales managed to kill a minute off the clock. 8-3 Morales with 30 seconds left. That’s all she wrote. Morales wins 8-3.

8:55: Alrighty, well, we’re feeling good. Consolation matches are about to begin and fans are continuing to file in. Breakfast today was at Carrows, and I can’t say that it was too fantastic. Yesterday at Mimi’s Cafe was far superior. Anyway, there was plenty of coffee, so I’m good to go.

8:30 a.m.: That’s right baby. 8:30 a.m. I’m here at Rabobank Arena bright and early today for the semifinal round. Consolation matches start at 9, with Foothill’s Chase Aura the first local to hit the mat. Semis start at 9:30 and I’ll have live play by play of all three matches – De La Salle’s Vinny Moita, Liberty’s David Klingsheim and Concord’s Nick Pica.

A few notes this morning:

- Yesterday’s attendance was 5,985.
- I ran into Freedom’s Nick Waldrop in the hallway this morning when I got here and he described last night’s loss to Clovis’ Scott Sakaguchi as just a case of making one mistake. I agree with him completely because I think he was actually wrestling him fairly well, limiting Sakaguchi’s offense in the first period.
- From a section standpoint, last night’s loss by Windsor’s Cody Howe was a blow to the NCS’ title hopes. Howe was undefeated until losing to Selma’s Jose Mendoza.
- Nine guys left today: Moita, Klingsheim, Pica, Aura, Waldrop, Dylan Phillipy, Alec Fraser, David Rios, Tyler Sheridan and Sean Dougherty.

Alrighty, I’m going to head downstairs for some fruit, and I’ll be back in a few.

Don’t underestimate him. He’s dominated everyone up to this point right?!

Steve R. Waterhouse

true. pica is a beast. two matches away. we’ll find out.

randyc

Lets go PICA!!!! Kick some A$$!!!

PicaFam

If that is not total State dominance, i dont know what is. GO NICK PICA!!!!!!!!

randyc

Congrats to Nick and the Pica family. I know what this means to you guys. The Concord family is very proud! Can’t wait to see you back at Concord.

randyc

Thanks again Ben! You have done a great job all year.

rhdfd

i gota say..pica is BEAST!!!

CoachHam

No Pica is not a beast, you are not from the area so I will let you know he is a juggernaught. Nick very few humans ever get to know for a fact that they are the best at something, tonight you acheived exactly what you set out to do. Enjoy the view from the top of the mountain son and be sure to tell the rest of us what it’s really like on top of the world. Thanks to all the CC Times guys who covered the tourney, how about naming the wrestler who most dominated his weight class and which wrestler overcame the greatest odds to win or place

Manny

Great job Nick! We are all so happy for you and your family! See you all soon

Ben Enos

CoachHam, they haven’t named those yet. I’ll let you know if I hear, but normally it takes FOREVER for them to say it. But, if I find out, I’ll let you know.

CoachHam

oh i was just asking for your observation

PvMan

Ben,
Do you know if anybody uploaded or published videos of the tournament?

Ben Enos

PvMan, I haven’t heard of any. I actually had my web cam down there with me and we discussed it but the CIF has contracts with companies and we figured it’d be better not to mess with that stuff. KBCSports.com was supposed to be the provider for audio but I never saw a crew there. So, this may be one of the great unsolved mysteries from this year’s tournament.

PvMan

Ben,
Thanks for the reply. But check it out! I found last night most of the semis and finals at the Flowwrestling site under this link: http://www.flowrestling.org/members/genestevens/videos.Some of the matches are real good! I don’t know if it was an unauthorized fan or somebody with credentials, however its all good.